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Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

My three hives are not that busy, but close. Rained in early am, clear, sunny and 80 degrees at noon. Your entry seems small for all those bees, would you comment on that? My entries are small also, I always wonder about right size entry . One weak hive has only one half inch opening because of robbers, looks to be working. On one strong hive I had the top open on shims and still had a 2 inch entry on the bottom, again robbers were fighting to get in the top. Shut the top opening and reduced the bottom one. The robbing stopped. Must be the season here for robbers.

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

This is my first year/hive.
I have the opening reduced to about 3". I just went out and checked it and there is about 20 bees sitting in front of the doorway, not fanning trying to cool it off, but just milling about in the rain. I have the entry reducer on because I thought I was supposed to reduce when the weather cooled off. We had a few nights of low 30s, tonight it will be around mid 40s.
The hive consists of 2 deeps and a shallow super, the super is maybe 40% honey, the bottom deep is just about empty of everything and the upper deep has some brood surrounded by honey. (last I checked the deeps, a month ago)
I had figured the bees to be done for the summer so I fed 3 gals of 2.1 syrup 5 days ago, and they finished it in 3 days.
There should be alot of room left in the deeps and I know there is at least 50-60% room left in the super.

To my untrained eye, I would say the hive has been really strong for a first year nuc. Maybe it is stronger than I think and has more bees than average? I don't know. I didn't plan on doing anymore with them this season.

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

Well I don't have my own bees yet - but there is this borage that is in bloom here in Oak Harbor, Wa and the bees are busy with that. And that was yesterday when it was cooler. But loves these dark and cloudy but warm November days that we've been having!

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

Originally Posted by rwilly

This is my first year/hive.
I have the opening reduced to about 3". I just went out and checked it and there is about 20 bees sitting in front of the doorway, not fanning trying to cool it off, but just milling about in the rain. I have the entry reducer on because I thought I was supposed to reduce when the weather cooled off. We had a few nights of low 30s, tonight it will be around mid 40s.
The hive consists of 2 deeps and a shallow super, the super is maybe 40% honey, the bottom deep is just about empty of everything and the upper deep has some brood surrounded by honey. (last I checked the deeps, a month ago)
I had figured the bees to be done for the summer so I fed 3 gals of 2.1 syrup 5 days ago, and they finished it in 3 days.
There should be alot of room left in the deeps and I know there is at least 50-60% room left in the super.

To my untrained eye, I would say the hive has been really strong for a first year nuc. Maybe it is stronger than I think and has more bees than average? I don't know. I didn't plan on doing anymore with them this season.

Comments?

Looks like a healthy, happy hive. Lots of pollen for this time of year. In Vancouver we still have aster, borage, calendula and anemone for the girls to forage on. In Vancouver we reduce the hive to two full deeps (full of capped food not empty) generally in winter (easier to regulate temperature), wrap and/or insulate, mouse guard and some form of condensation reducer (i.e top insulation, moisture quilt or insulated moisture quilt). The girls need at least 2 deeps of food to winter in our climate.

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

We have sagebrush that blooms in the late fall and stays in bloom clear past the first light frosts. So far I am not sure what sort of honey source it is but it is a mega pollen source. It seems every bee returning to my hives has big balls of bright orange pollen. I was originally thinking the sagebrush would be a good flow as well, Now I am not so sure. It is still warm enough during the day for my bees to forage.

Re: Video of the bees today in Seattle

I don't know anything about plants, I'd never heard of Aster before but I do know what Dahlias are, there is a lady that has a small Dahlia farm about a mile from here.

The bees you see entering under the hive are just looking around? there is no entrance under there.

I am hoping they will fill up the hive with the pollen to get them through the winter. I suppose I could feed more syrup if needed.I will be putting a mouse guard on as well as some form of insulation. The condensation reducer sounds like a great idea.